Farming Today This Week

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Farming Today: 10/04/21 - Farming Today This Week: Dogs in the countryside, wetland rewilding and spring on the farm

10/04/21 - Farming Today This Week: Dogs in the countryside, wetland rewilding and spring on the farm

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 10/04/21 - Farming Today This Week: Dogs in the countryside, wetland rewilding and spring on the farm

Should dogs have to be kept on the lead at all times in the countryside?

We hear about the problems caused by dogs in the countryside and ask whether they should be kept on leads at all times?

Should dogs be kept on leads all the time whenever they're out in the countryside? The Country Land and Business Association says yes. There's been a 10% increase in dog attacks on sheep since this time last year, but there's another problem dogs can cause for farmers: parasites found in some dog poo can be passed on to cattle, and can even cause cows to abort calves. Charlotte Smith hears from a dairy farmer about the emotional and financial impact of getting the infection in a herd.

Peat is a major ingredient in compost used by gardeners and farmers alike. But it's harvested from the wild, damaging peatland habitats and releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The Royal Horticultural Society has announced it will be completely peat free by 2025 as it switches to other growing media including sphagnum moss. But does it come as too little, too late?

We find out more about a project in East Devon to recreate a huge tidal wetland at Budleigh Salterton. A 200 year old sea embankment will be breached, to allow fields in the estuary of the River Otter to flood, creating salt marsh and mud flats, with the aim of improving habitats and capturing carbon.

And we bring you the sounds of Spring on the farm - from new calves and lambs, to the last seeds being planted.

Presented by Charlotte Smith
Produced for BBC Audio by Heather Simons

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